Show review

Tommy Marz Band had everyone dancing and singing to their eclectic mix of late 90s alt-rock covers, and some originals.

Tommy Marz has been hard at work recording new material. His plan is to release a double album, one disc of pop music and one disc of rock music. His band decided to take a break from the studio to open up for The Dan Band at the Royal Oak Music Theatre on January 23, 2015.

Tommy Marz and his band were an absolute nuclear bomb of energy erupting the moment they took the stage. Unusual since usually opening acts go through the motions while the majority of the audience socialize with each other, milling around waiting for the main act to go on stage, but Marz (guitars/vocals), Jason Tucker (drums) and Chris Alef (bass) were undeniably the center of attention from the moment they took the stage. It was a roller coaster of old-school alt-rock tunes from Marz’s previous band GoToZero, a litany of late-nineties and early aught hits, mixed with a few high-energy originals from start to finish.

They opened their set with a brief intro to Rage Against The Machine’s, “Bomb Track,” that segued flawlessly into Seven Mary Three’s, “Cumbersome,” stomping through it just as expected: loud, strong and tight. Tucker mentioned, after the set, that this has been a show staple for this band since their humble beginnings.

As soon as, “Cumbersome,” ended, and without so much as a single breath of delay, they launched into a cover of Pearl Jam’s, “Animal.” This was the track that really brought the house to the front of the stage. I started seeing hands in the air while the crowd bounced along. Marz’s Fender Strat soared through the solo and got the floor screaming. The surprise on the crowd’s faces was evident as soon as the song got going. And by the end of the song, everyone was swaying along to it.

The band then put the covers to rest for a bit, and played an original from GoToZero’s previous release ROBOTS called, “Beautiful World.” A fast-paced, pop-rock tune, it sought out those last few holdouts in the crowd and brought smiles to their faces. Tucker executed the locomotive drum patterns with robotic precision, shaking the floor in the process.

After this, the band teased the crowd with another brief song intro, Black Sabbath’s, “Sweet Leaf,” which segued right into Silverchair’s, “Tomorrow.” Alef’s bass carried the song through Marz’s shredding solo, and watching Tucker’s arms swing madly was a sight you will just have to behold for yourself.

Marz announced that the show would be coming to a close after the next few songs, and the crowd groaned with dismay. With a devilish grin, Marz told the crowd the next song was a brand new tune that he’d wrote that very day, and launched into a cover of Smashing Pumpkins’, “Cherub Rock.” Hands went into the air and bodies again began to move. They performed a spot-on tribute to one of the most iconic songs from the nineties.

“Cherub Rock,” came to a sudden and abrupt end, and Marz tickled the crowd yet again with a song intro, White Zombie’s, “Thunder Kiss ’65,” which segued perfectly into the show-closer, “Waste of My Time.” An original from the GoToZero days, this heavy-rock anthem is a barrage of anger and thick riffs over John Bonham style thunder that absolutely brought the roof down. Amazingly enough, though, the show didn’t end there.

After the outro to, “Waste of My Time,” Alef stepped to the front of the stage and began hammering out the bass riff to, “Sabotage,” by the Beastie Boys. With a crash from Tucker’s cymbal, Marz stepped one last time to the mic and screamed out the words with everything he had. It was this song that instantly turned The Dan Band’s fans into Tommy Marz Band’s fans. The final chorus had the entire house shrieking the words so loudly that Marz could no longer be heard.

Tommy Marz Band is a band you really have to see to believe. Many local bands make valiant efforts to capture even a small part of the kind of energy this band bleeds from every orifice, and it’s worth every penny to experience for yourself. From paying homage to mega alt-rock hits of decades past, to modern covers of popular music, all the way through original GoToZero and Tommy Marz Band songs, that span nearly fifteen years, Tommy Marz Band will find what is needed to get you moving.